Joanne Hartstone productions. White Queen. 12 Feb 2016
Delia Olam emerges from behind the white drapes swaggering and swigging in the character of the executioner. He is drowning his apprehension.
The audience knows already that this play will not end happily. It is the story of a martyr.
Then Olam goes behind the screen and returns as a woman, then onwards over 75 minutes depicting a series of characters. She comes and goes between torrents of dialogue. For each character change there is a change in head wear.
Olam maintains a peculiarly low-key conversational delivery, sometimes letting her voice drop dangerously in the offhandedness of her character.
But she also is the mystical singer we never see. In this tale of a 19th Century Persian poet and suffragette we are to imagine that we can hear her somewhere close but somewhere hidden.
Behind the screen, Olam plays a double bass and sings the ancient Persian poems. Her voice is lovely and one realises that the wordy storyline of the Muslim martyr is just elaborate dressing to put the music into context. Olam sings a series of songs which would do Womad proud. There are moments of immense beauty when her voice rises from behind that screen to fill the air with clear, timeless lyrical purity. Her range is superb. The audience is transported.
It is a quirky production. For a little cultural immersion, the front row audience members are served sugar lumps and rose water tea.
The show runs about 10 minutes too long but, as an entity, it is one of those eerie and original Fringe experiences which will haunt the memory.
Samela Harris
When: 12 to 14 Feb
Where: White Queen
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
